Improvement in pipe-couplings



WILLIAM CRAIG. OF NEWARK, NEW JERSEY.

Letlers Patent No. 61,607, dated January 9.9, i867.

IMPROVEMENT IN PIPE-GOUPLIN GS.

Lil/ige Sfigctirle tefcmh in iii these jiiirrs lziinii :nih linking mit ni ligt 5min.

TO ALL WHOM IT MAY CONCERN:

Be itknown that I, WILLIAM CRAIG, of Newark, in the county of Essex, and State of-'Neiv Jersey, have invented a. new und useful Improvement in Hose or Pipe-Coupling, of which the following is a full, clear, und exactpdeseription, reference being had to the accompanying drawing, which forms part of this specification, and in which- Figure llrepresents a longitudinal view of my improved coupling.

Figure 2, a. longitudinal section thereof.

Figure 3, and end view of the entering-but detached; and

Figure 4, a similar view of the outside ring or sleeve.

Similar letters of reference indicate corresponding parts throughout the several figures.

In hosc and other similar couplings, it is a metter of no small moment that the two buts to which the adjacent' ends of continuous hose sections or lengths are lashed, be so constructed as that they may not only be readily and quickly united and disnnited from time to time, but, also, that when united they` form a. tight junction and perfect lock, and one that will be but little impaired by wear or rough usage. A stud and groove is general and perhaps the simplest mode of gearing the entering-but and sleeve that holds the opposite one together,.as such mode affords great facility for connecting and disconnecting the two buts; but all such pre- Vious constructions have been so defective in establishing a perfect loci; against the buts separating accidentally in .twisting or `turning and handling the hose so united in sections, that it has eren been proposed to insert an independent lockingscrew to prevent the sections disconnecting, excepting when it. is desired they should be drawn apart. The liability to loss and breakage, however, of such independent locking-screw, and the time required to work it, are great objections to its'goncrai adoption, and thc object and nature of my present inven` tion are to give an equally or more secure lock by forming the entering-but with studs or projections, and the sleeve that holds the other but with such peculiarly shaped grooves as that, by the interposition of an cles' ring or washer between the buts, every facility will he afforded for establishing or breaking the connection it is desired to unite or disunite said buts, yet., when joined, aperfect lock of them will be established? studs passing lthe culminating line of gear iu the grooves or points that draw the buts closest togetl being there held to prevent the casual turning of either hose section working'the studs out of the gro` the elastic character of the interposing ring or washer.

To enable others skilled in such matters to make and use my improvement, I will now proceed to d it with reference to the accompanying drawing.

The part marked A in said drawing represents the outer ring or sleeve of a hose-coupling provided with the usual wrench holding-collar a, and formed with curved grooves, '11, open at the outer end of the body of the sleeve, and extending from said end or face some distance beyond lines drawn longitudinally with the coupling from the centres from which 'said curvesV were struck, as illustrated by the red line in fig. 1,- and so .that the inner end or portion of each curve b, will form a locking cavity or continuation, c, slightly varying towards the outer end of the sleeve body that said curve as its mouth started from. I3 is the one but, held by an inner annular extension of the sleeve-collar a, lapping over an outer collar, d, to the inner end o f said but, which has the usual grooves e on its body for lashing to and round it the one end of n hose length or section. C is the sliding or entering-but to the sleeve. This but has thc usual wrench-collarf, and grooves, e', for lashing to4 it the adjoining length or section of hose, and may be formed at its interior end with nu inner projecting flange, between which and the collar of the other but B is interposed an Indivfrubber or elastic ring, D. Studs or projections g are arranged round the body of the entering-but, one for euch curved groove or slot, b, in `the sleeve, and of such diameter or thickness as to cuter and fit easily but snugly within said grooves. Now, from this description it will be apparent that every facility is afforded for connecting and disconnecting nt pleasure the entering-but C, and sleeve A, carrying the other but, and so uniting or disuniting the adjacent` hose sections, by simply turning the sleeve or entering-but to throw in or outof gear the studs g, with the grooves b of-the sleeve. But, in establishing the connection, it will be Aperceived that as the studs g approach and reach their culminating line, shown in red in lig` l, the elastic ring or washer D will be compressed, but, in travelling beyond this point or linc and on entering and passing into the end cavities or continuations c, which slightly verge towards the end of the sleeve from which the grooves started,'the elastic ring D will to a certain extent be relieved from its eXtreme compression, still sufliciently compressed to hold steady the sleeve and but intheir coupled connection. To break the connection, however, it will be necessary to again vcompress the elastic ring, by and as the studs q work inwards on approaching and passing in their return their culminating points or lines, that is, passing from the cavities or continua-tions c to the main portions of thegrooves la, and thus it will be seen there isla restraintcr lock placed upon the coupling when thc connection is fully established, that no accidental twisting or turning or handling of the hose sections can. break, as to pass the studs beyond their culminating lines o1' points and compress the elastic ring will requirea positive, aud, thou gh not to an objectionable degree, considerable force. If preferred, the grooves b, with their cavities or con-tinuations c, may

4be formed inversely in the entering-but C, and the studsg made to project from the sleeve A, to gear with said grooves and for operation together and with the elastic ring D in the same manner; such modification being equivalent to the arrangement herein described. The grooves be need not extend completely through the sleeve A to the exterior thereof, but may, by making the sleeve thick enough, extend only partly through from the interior, the portion of metal outside of the said grooves, in such ease, forming shields to the studs or lugs g.

What I claim herein as new and useful, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is The combination of the sliding or entering-but C, with its studs g, elastic ring D, and the adjacent butholding sleeve A, formed with grooves b, made to terminate in cavities or continuations c, that verge outwardly towards the end or face of the sleeve from which sa'id groovesl started at their open extremities or mouths, all for operation together, substantially as' and for the purpose or purposes herein set forth.

WILLIAM CRAIG. Witnesses:

` A. LE CLERC,

J. W. Cocinas. 

